The Dragoons of the 48th armored infantry
by renegadeleader
Summary: A short story about a unit of destroids during the opening salvo's of the war


THE DRAGOONS OF THE 48TH ARMORED INFANTRY  
  
  
  
  
  
It was a bright morning on macross island. Many people had come to see the launching of the SDF-1. The Dragoons had been one of the first army units to be issued the new destroid combat mecha and was to be stationed aboard the space fortress for its maiden voyage, all the personnel was expecting an easy light duty day. They were wrong dead wrong.  
  
"I tell ya man ever since the civil war ending things have been pretty easy around here, the inspections every day are driving me nuts!" said the tall black haired corporal named Anthony Ray as he applied another coat of polish to his boots. "Hey at least we don't have to do this all day, the captain was lucky enough to get us the day off so we can go into the city and not be cooped up aboard the ship all day." Replied PFC Terry Logan as he straitened his uniform then added. "At least I got a hot date too bad you couldn't get one." "Yeah right you wish you could be a mack like me." Ray let out a deep laugh. "So who is it, and does she have a friend?" "Her name is Vanessa and yes she has 2 friends actually… what the hell is that?" Logan said as he felt the SDF-1 deck plates start to vibrate underneath him. "That feels like the motors that turn the main guns, I was on board when they were testing them out, wonder why they're moving them." Ray said as the vibrating stopped and they both heard a loud humming start to build.  
  
"Is that what I think it is Ray?" Logan asked startled. "Yea the main guns gonna fire, but I have no idea at what." Ray responded dumbfounded. The humming ceased and the ship buckled as is main reflex cannons fired. Twenty seconds later a klaxon went off signaling a combat alert. "All personal report to battle stations repeat all personal report to battle stations" the voice over the ships intercom commanded. "Well there goes my date for tonight." Logan said to Ray as they rushed out of the bunkroom.  
  
The two soldiers made their way to the hangar bay just as the rest of the 48TH's bravo company started to arrive. "What's our situation Sir?" Sgt. Cordfell, Ray's and Logan's squad leader asked Major Torres the company commander. Torres looked up from his map as the last of the company arrived.  
  
"Okay listen Up!" Torres ordered the company "It seems the aliens that dropped this ship here want it back, we have already destroyed 2 of their ships in space, it seems this ship had a failsafe device on it and blew them out of the sky. Torres stopped as the company let out a small cheer. "That's only the tip of the iceberg people, several more ships have been detected heading toward Macross Island, and the main guns are burnt out right now." "So here's the objectives, one repel the enemy attacks to the SDF-1, and two clear the city of any hostile forces." Waited a second then said. "Any questions?" One soldier raised his hand. "Go ahead Sgt. Harper." "Aye sir dunna we have any ideas as to what we are a going up against?" he asked with a Heavy Irish accent. "To be honest Harper not even high command has any idea but from what they saw in this ship they are gonna be big, and that's what we have those destroids for." Torres said as he pointed at the rows of tomahawks, phalanx, and defenders. " Okay we don't have much time left your squad leader's have your orders and I'll be with squad one , now lets kick some alien butt!" "Hooaah?" the entire company answered with a collective "HOOAAH!" and broke for their destroids. Logan climbed into his tomahawk's cockpit, put his helmet on and switched on the protoculture drive and communications and waited his turn to leave the mech hanger.  
  
The squad of 12 destroids moved quickly into the defensive positions around the SDF-1 as reports already were coming in across the Island of the alien attackers started their assault. "Keep your eyes open they'll be here any minute." Sgt. Cordfell said from the cockpit of his gray painted defender. "Hey sarge here they come, they will be in range in 20 seconds…Ahhhhhhh!" a soldier screamed as laser bolts slammed into his Spartan ripping it to pieces.  
  
"Damn those things move fast spread out and use each of your battle buddies cover fire!" Sgt. Cordfell ordered his squad as he moved his own defender into position to return fire, as he did so he finally got a close look at the attackers. "They looked like a ball on stilts." He thought to himself, as he locked in his target and fired a volley of missiles from his destroids shoulder launchers. The missiles impact blew the battlepod off its legs and into a giant heap on the ground.  
  
"Ray, watch out two coming up behind you!" Logan said as he fired his two arm cannons and followed it up with a few shots from his heavy lasers. One battlepod saw the incoming fire and jumped out of the way but the other was too late, and the two shells impacted on the cockpit hitting the power plant and blowing it to pieces. "Thanks homes now watch this!" Ray said as the hatches on his phalanx's missile pods and fired on a group of 6 battlepods causing a wall of fire to erupt at the pods feet. "One times got no case!" ray said laughing over the comm.  
  
More battlepods where storming their position Sgt. Cordfell knew they couldn't hold out much longer and they had to fall back soon. "Battle control this is 48bravo2lead we need an air support at these coordinates." He said as he punched in the numbers on his computer and waited for a response as 3 more destroids in his squad fell.  
  
"This is commander Lisa Hayes support is on its way fall back to secondary defensive area and await reinforcements over." "Alright everyone you heard the lady fall back to the secondary position." Cordfell relayed the order to the squad as they started to pull back. "Look out for the freeway sniper sucka!" Ray said firing off more missile's as he walked his destroid backwards. The battlepods fired back hitting his destroid in the knee and his mech stopped moving. " Damn my mech hit I'm a sitting duck!" his destroid rocked as a few more laser rounds hit his destroid in the chest finally causing it to topple over. "RAY!" Logan yelled. "Its too late, fall back private there's nothing you can do to help him." Cordfell ordered him.  
  
Ray's cockpit opened and he staggered out and was all most stepped on as the battlepods marched down the street pressing back the destroids to the secondary line. A loud roaring came from a distance, when it got closer he could see it was 3 veritech fighters. "Yeah kick those sorry ET's off our planet!" Ray yelled with excitement as the veritechs started to lay waste to the battlepods. "Damn now how am I gonna get back to the SDF-1 now that my mech's busted. As he looked around a black luxury car caught his eye. "hmmmm always wanted one of those ." He said as he started to hot wire the car.  
  
Meanwhile Captain Gloval has decided to leave earth by space fold to draw the new alien menace away from earth. "Everyone return to the SDF-1 space fold in ten minutes!" "Harper and Cordfell get your squads back here now!" Torres said over the comm's regimental frequency. "Sergeant what about Ray I think he's still alive his phalanx wasn't that damaged!" Logan stated. "There's nothing we can do… wait what the hell is that?" Cordfell said as a small black luxury car flew past them doing about 110 mph honking its horn. "I know only one person that drives like that its Ray!" Logan said surprised "Who gave him a license to drive a destroid let alone that thing!?!" Cordfell said amazed at Ray's driving skill or lack of it as the car flew up the ramp just ahead of the destroids in his squad.  
  
When the last mech was aboard the ramp was raised and the ship was prepared to fold. When the ship folded everything went white and then it cleared up again. The remaining members of the dragoons all stared out a porthole into the darkness every one was silent until Ray got out of the car and said "where the hell are we?"  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


End file.
